A New Test Subject
by Kyla Stone
Summary: Terri Heart finds Aperture Science, while trying to find a way to get away from her life at home. But which is better? What she had or what she has to do now? Rated T in case of some violence in later chapters.


Chapter One: The Strange Find

I push myself through the field, parting the tall wheat out of my face. Soon I come upon a clearing. In the center of it, sits an odd little rusted shed out. What was a little shed doing out here in the middle of nowhere? Of course I could ask myself the same question. What was _I _doing out there in the middle of nowhere? Curiosity gets the best of me. I walk up to the door and knock, but no one answers. I open the door and look inside. Inside it is dark and smells slightly musty.

"Hello?" I call out into the darkness. No reply but my echo. I decide that I should explore this more. Upon placing one foot inside I find there's no floor! A scream escapes my throat as I start to fall. Air pushes past me causing my clothes to fly upwards. I flail my arms, hoping to catch something, anything to stop my fall. I'm successful as my hand latches onto a patch of wires that are hanging out of a wall. They snap under my weight, leaving me dangling, holding on to them. I hope the other end will last until I can get ahold of something more stable.

I look around the room, glancing below me. I still can't see the floor. Who knows how long this drop is. One thing is for sure if I fall it will most likely kill me. I spy a ladder on the wall. Carefully I start swinging, trying to get enough momentum so I can get myself over to that ladder. When I think I'm close enough I jump for the ladder. I make it. I cling there for a moment to the ladder, before starting my careful, slow descent. After a few minutes my feet touch the floor. I let go of the ladder and look around. Still too dark to really see anything, except for that one small glimpse of light, threading itself though what I imagine to be a doorway. I carefully feel my way along the wall and floor to get to it. I find the handle on the door swinging it the rest of the way open. The light blinds me so I put my hand up to shield myself from it. That's when I hear… _her._

"What the- who are you? What are you doing in _my_ facility?" I'm so startled I can't even respond to the robotic, female voice.

"Are you deaf or just incapable of answering simple questions?" She speaks again. My thoughts snap back to me.

"My name is Terri Heart. I came upon this place by accident. I opened a shed door and soon found myself falling." As I answer I look around, trying to figure out where on earth this voice came from.

"Well then. I suggest you leave."

"No. Not yet. I still don't know who you are..." She doesn't respond to that. Silence falls back over the room. I shrug a little before creeping around the room, unsure of what to expect. The walls are made out of some strange light grey paneling. I rub my hand against the strange texture. Despite being metal, it's not cool to the touch. In fact, in an odd way it almost seems alive somehow. What if this place _is_ alive somehow? I shake my head.

''Terri, think clearly, this is no time to think of such nonsense things.'' I scold myself.

"Well, talking to yourself is a great display of nonsense." That voice again.

"Who are you?" No answer. "Why don't you answer me?" Still nothing. I sigh and head over to the door I spied earlier. I swing it open, hoping it won't lead to a room of darkness like the room before did. I stare a moment at the sight in front of me. A bridge is crossing a gap and not just any bridge at that. It shines with a bright azure glow. It's transparent so I can see the long drop below it. Lines of energy run through it. I am scared to touch it, what if it kills me? Is it pure electricity?

"The bridge is safe you know, unless you careless prance yourself right off it." There she is again.

"Oh yeah? Why should I trust you?"

"Because I know all about this facility. Think about it, I'm the only other person in this whole building. If you choose to stay I should think you need to trust me."

"What is this bridge made of?"

"To put it simply so that your human mind can understand this, it's made of something similar to pure sunlight. Here's a tip of advice: Don't let your hair touch it unless you want it to burn away into ashes."

"Gee thanks. I'll have to remember that." I roll my eyes, before stepping over to the bridge. I reach my hand out to touch its surface. Despite its unstable appearance it is indeed quite sturdy. It is also very warm to the touch, I pull my hand away sharply once I feel the burning pain. I decide to risk it. I quickly sprint across the bridge to platform on the other side of the chasm. Just as I open the door and walk in, I feel a sharp impact with my head. I slump to the ground as darkness overcomes me.


End file.
